Historic Main Street Oxford

Snow Street 

Built circa 1870, the Dunkin-Privett House was home to Elias Dunkin and his wife, Jennie Welch Dunkin, in the 1890s. A native of Perry County, Alabama, Dunkin later lived in Shelby County before settling in Oxford, where he operated a livery stable near his home.

Located on Hale Street, the area around the house once included a row of homes occupied by formerly enslaved individuals, locally referred to as “Dunkin Quarters.” By 1928, most of these homes had disappeared.

Following Elias Dunkin’s death in 1901, the home was sold to Mary Yoe Privett, a widow, who lived there with her children—Willie, Jennie, Ida, Ruth, and Alvin—until 1920. Miss Jennie Privett taught first through third grades from the home, and she, along with sisters Ida and Ruth, pursued careers in education. Another son, John B. Privett, operated Privett Drug on Main Street and served as a city councilmember.

The Privett family relocated to Colorado in 1920, and over the following decades, the home was occupied by the Burton, Tyree, and Champion families. In the early 1990s, the house was converted for commercial use. Businesses that have operated there include Classy Clutter, Charisma Gifts, Family & Friends Adult Daycare, and Southern Chic Boutique.